A More Forceful Offer
by RakuKonpaku
Summary: Two Objects down in one day but a third proves too many as Quenser finds himself captured by the Information Alliance and deemed a traitor by his own country. Now is the time for a man to make a choice.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all, here is the Heavy Object fic I promised a couple of weeks ago. This particular situation is one many people have likely thought of since it is the goal of who could be considered Milinda's rival Ohoho. One problem with this idea is that it's essentially NTR and I'm not into that, but it also lines up for more character motivations so I can work with it as I go.

Anyway, I'll eventually update this later, I'm still waiting for our lord and savior js06 to finish translating Zashiki Warashi before I write a fic for that and I will likely do a silly Kamachi crossover fic after that is done as well.

Anyway, ramblings aside read and enjoy.

* * *

"Confirmed ejection of enemy elite, the Impact Pulse has been rendered inoperable!"

Soon after that announcement over the communications of the Legitimacy Kingdom's 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion, a grand explosion marred the landscape of the Alaskan mountains. Leaning against a tree, the battlefield student Quenser Barbotage let out a long sigh as he observed the surrounding area. Pure white snow covered the ground, contrasting greatly to the two 50 meter masses of flame and armor billowing smoke into the atmosphere. A few kilometers away from the wreckage, the battalion's own Object, the Baby Magnum, slowly circled around towards the maintenance to the east. Even from a distance, Quenser could tell that the Object had taken a tremendous amount of damage in the 2v1 battle it had just participated in, and all seven of its main cannons seemed to be inoperable. Quenser checked his small handheld device as he rested against the tree.

"Seems like both bases are pulling back; that's a relief, I'd be screwed if they kept heading this way." The blonde student stretched his arms as he chatted on the radio. On the screen in his hands, he could see the enemy maintenance battalions to the west slowly retreating from the battlefield. Taking a moment to get his bearings before hiking back to his own base, Quenser moved the map on the screen around.

"Huh, I ended up a lot farther south than I meant to. Hey Heivia, do you think you could get a snowmobile over here? I'm about 7 kilometers south-southwest of the base." Despite asking for a ride, Quenser got up from the ground and dusted himself off before pulling out a small ration bar from his pocket. He started chewing on the tasteless mass as he hiked his way towards the base. Shortly after his request, a familiar voice came over the radio.

"No can do, you're surrounded by all sorts of wreckage, there's a good chance of the snowmobile hitting something buried under the snow and then both of us will end up walking. A skinny boy like you could use some good exercise anyway."

"Yeah, well screw you too Heivia, I'll tell your fiancé you were hitting on some girls in the town the other day." Quenser replied to his terrible friend while walking at a rather leisurely pace through the snowy hills. Only the muffled crunching of the snow under his boots broke the calming silence of nature; a stark contrast to the cacophony of explosions that ended just minutes ago. After walking for a while the student came across a large crater that had been a side effect of the earlier battle. The boy sighed as he pulled out his device to find the best route around when he heard a rumbling in the distance. Quenser frantically checked his handheld as he heard the voice of his commander Froleytia Capistrano.

"The situation has changed! The 41st CMB is pulling back and the Information Alliance's Rush is heading our way. Everybody get everything packed up now!" At that urging, Quenser checked his datapad and saw the map updating to show the enemy Object approaching from the south.

 _Strange, the Rush is moving at a really slow pace. Is Ohoho worried about the possibility of debris getting caught in her treads? Regardless she's going to arrive long before we can get things packed up and the Princess is in absolutely no condition to fight. Actually, why are they heading for us in the first place anyway? Payback for destroying two of theirs or was something here that important?_

The combat engineer checked his backpack for explosives and grimaced. _I'm running really low on Hand Axe, and I doubt I'll be able to lock up the strategic AI like last time._ He checked the map a few more times before coming to a conclusion. _Maybe I can set up a few caltrops with the Object wreckage along one of these canyons and hope she passes through it. It's a bit of a longshot but if I don't buy some time here who knows what will happen to the base._

As he thought, Quenser heard somebody address him over the radio. "I can tell what you're thinking simply by the fact that you stopped moving our way Sir Knight. I know that trying to tell you to not run off isn't going to work but I'm going to try anyway. Get your ass over here; the intelligence division is reporting that the Rush is deploying with infantry escorts. Seriously, what is this, the era before Objects? I don't think I've ever heard of infantry escorting an Object like they did for tanks in the old days. Anyway, two Objects in one day was stretching it, I'm certain your luck is running too thin to make it three and Ohoho will no doubt be much more aware of your ideas after what happened the last time we were here."

Quenser listened to his friend Heivia over the radio as he carefully plotted his actions while looking at the map on his device. He did a few quick calculations on a different window before coming to a conclusion.

"I don't really have much choice right now Heivia, I'm too far away to make it to the base before the Rush arrives and who knows what the enemy intends to do after we won 1 vs 2. If I'm lucky I can buy a bit of time for you all; if not I was more or less doomed anyway."

After confirming his plan, Quenser started running to his east towards a ravine. As he arrived at his planned point he looked at his watch and grimaced; a full ten minutes had passed. _I'm cutting this real close. Let's see, move this piece and this piece like so, just a touch of Hand Axe and…aw hell I don't know if I have enough fuses left._ As he checked his pouches for more explosives and fuses, Quenser heard his comrade contacting him over the radio.

"Quenser, I don't know what you plan on doing over there but you have an armored vehicle heading straight for you. I think you might have been detected."

The young student cursed under his breath while looking into the distance and saw a trail of rising snow just over a kilometer away. He tried to keep a low profile as he moved away from the trap he had placed. _Shit, looks like Ohoho's unit really did come prepared this time. Did they trace me from the GPS or something? Maybe I should just blow the trap and hope the Rush comes down this way._

Quenser continued to rapidly think as he crawled away, however as he crawled he lost sight of the armored vehicle that was heading in his direction. _Where did that vehicle go? Crap it's usually Heivia's thing keeping me alive through this part. Let's see… There are trees just 20 meters away, I might be able to slip away for a while if I can make it there. I can probably make it if I keep low enough._

Despite all of his experience in dealing with Objects, Quenser was still just a novice when it came to normal combat. Just before he prepared to dash to the trees, he poked his head out from the wreckage. Not a moment after, a bullet impacted the ground only a meter away from his head. He quickly pulled back into his cover and had to restrain himself from shouting obscenities at the top of his lungs. Shortly after, he heard Heivia rapidly talking over the radio.

"Quenser, the Rush has just changed its course and is heading right for you; I think you've been spotted!" _No shit, you damn noble!_ Quenser cursed his normal battle buddy in his mind while he frantically checked his device. To his dismay found that the enemy Object was now heading along a completely different path than his trap.

 _Oh, come on; is she really that mad at me? I thought we were even after that happened in the Himalayas! Okay, think; I'm pinned down by enemy troops, I have a 200,000-ton death bot piloted by a potentially angry young girl heading my way and my trap has been rendered completely worthless._

…

 _Well this has all just gone to shit. I might have to just surrender and hope for the best. Do I have anything I can make into a white flag or something?_

As he slowly wrapped a few bandages into a flag-like shape at the tip of his survival kit's fishing pole, Quenser sighed and addressed his comrades over the radio.

"Heivia, I'm pretty fucked over here, it looks like I'm just going to have to surrender and hope for the best. I'm leaving things over there in your hands, just do me a favor and see if you can get me back before long alright?"

"…Okay, just don't do anything too rash and get yourself shot. Also why are you asking me to get you out? That's not my job you ass." Quenser grinned at the reply from his terrible friend as he spoke to the radio one last time before stepping out from cover.

"I figure I'd ask you since Froleytia is probably busy giving orders right now. I'd say 'don't die' but the good die young so a prick like you should live at least until his nineties."

"Yeah, yeah same to you tech pervert. Catch you later, Quenser."

At that last statement, the noise over the radio cut off, and Quenser took one deep breath as he picked up the makeshift flag. The crunching of boots on the ground drew close enough for him to hear, and he was about to wave his flag when he heard a familiar sweet voice.

"Masssterrrr, come ooooouttttttt~"

 _Wydine? Why is she…oh right they were actually from the Information Alliance, not Capitalists._ Quenser waved his makeshift flag for a moment before slowly stepping out from his piece of wreckage with his hands raised. In front of him was a tan, blonde woman in what appeared to be a combat maid outfit carrying a rifle loaded with various sensors. He could vaguely see two other maids in the distance with their rifles trained on him moving closer as the leader Wydine Uptown approached. Quenser nervously smiled as he tried to engage in some conversation with the person who could almost be considered an acquaintance.

"I guess I should say it's been a while Wydine, I don't know if I ever properly thanked you for saving me back in the Himalayas."

Sweat slowly dripped down Quenser's face as the combat maid walked closer to him. Even though he had survived dozens of battlefields having a gun pointed at him was still terrifying. However to his surprise the woman proceeded to greet him with a polite curtsy and a beaming smile.

"It is pleasing to see you in good health dear master ~ "

The boy could not hide his shock at a supposed enemy treating him so politely. As the other members of the maid combat squad drew close, they also proceeded to greet their supposed enemy with a polite curtsy and a smile. A faint sense of unease permeated Quenser's mind at this strange action, and he did his best to cope by making a small quip.

"I can't help but feel you're mocking me by saying that while guns are pointed at my head…"

 _And why are you in maid uniforms again? Not that I'm complaining but I feel like I might be shot if I ask._

"Not at all, I thought this would be a more fitting greeting for a gentleman raised in the Legitimacy Kingdom. Did we perhaps get something wrong?" Wydine cutely frowned as she questioned the person she was pointing a gun at. The members of the maid squad relaxed their weapons as the Rush drew closer to their location. Without moving his head, Quenser glanced towards the 50 meter mass of weapons and armor as a feminine voice could be heard over the speakers.

"Ohoho~ it has been a while dear Quenser Barbotage. I'm glad to see the brutish commanders of the Legitimacy Kingdom have not succeeded in their attempts to get you killed yet."

 _Why is the Rush stopping over here, weren't they planning to destroy our base or the Baby Magnum?_ As that thought crossed his mind, Wydine brought a finger to the earpiece on her right ear and started talking to whoever was on the other side. Quenser fell further and further into confusion as the situation progressed far faster than he could keep up.

"Yes? They've finished packing up and pulling out? Well what else could we expect when their Object has no way of fighting another Object right now…No, no there's no need for that, as you can see we have the target captured and we'll be bringing him back shortly."

Tension overcame Quenser as he heard one half of a conversation with rather odd implications. He did not get time to think however as an armored vehicle drove up next to the group of people and Wydine motioned him inside. Quenser quietly obeyed and climbed inside, briefly wondering if he should take a seat on the bench before being offered the spot by one of the combat maids. Despite being a prisoner of war, he was not restrained. Shortly before she stepped inside, Wydine took Quenser's radio and hit the talk button.

"Ahh, ahh, testing, testing, does this still work?"

After speaking slowly and clearly into the radio, Wydine quietly waited a moment before she got a reply. From the voice that came from the device Quenser could tell that it was Heivia.

"Who is this, and why does this voice sound familiar?"

"Oh if it isn't the freeloader, still alive as well I see."

"….Wydine?" Wydine grinned a bit a she continued her conversation over the radio with Heivia. Quenser wondered for a moment if he should try to get involved but came to the conclusion that it would not be wise.

"Well, you'll do just as well as anybody else I guess." Wydine cleared her throat and proceeded to once again be sure to speak clearly for all to hear.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen of the Legitimacy Kingdom. We of the information Alliance will be taking custody of Quenser Barbotage. We do not intend to harm him, but we will not be returning him. Freeloader, pass a message on to your higher-ups: we will not be wasting his talents as you have."

Quenser's eyes widened as his jaw dropped at that proclamation. Wydine tossed the radio back to its owner and closed the door to the vehicle. The engine quietly hummed and the vehicle lurched a bit as it seemed to pick up speed through the snow. The rumbling of the Rush's air cushion propulsion could be clearly heard following them, and one of the maids that Quenser vaguely recalled was called Charm brought some hot tea with accompanying teacups from a side compartment. After giving one to each of the other maids, the brown-haired ponytail woman offered a cup to their prisoner. Quenser looked back and forth between the cup and the girl before meekly accepting the offer and taking a sip. After the warmth of the tea had finished chasing away the cold, he finally decided to ask the question burning in his mind.

"What did you mean with that message you said over my radio?"

The squad of maids all turned to look at Quenser when he spoke up. Wydine put a finger to her chin as she tilted her head in thought for a moment before she replied.

"Think of this as a bit of an aggressive invitation. Our dear elite made you an offer to defect to us before did she not? Your skills are unique even among soldiers and engineers; it should be no surprise that many factions would want to recruit you.

Quenser quietly stared at the ground as he processed the information provided by that reply. On more than one occasion he had been coerced into helping somebody cripple or destroy and Object, and on many other occasions he had been targeted for that very same reputation. One particular face came to mind from early in his Object destroying career: Sladder Honeysuckle, the Object designer that ran the Mass Driver Conglomerate when it went rogue. He was broken out of his thoughts when the driver of the vehicle shouted back into the rear compartment.

"Hold on to something we're going to have to go fast, the Legitimacy Kingdom Object that turned tail has come back around towards us for some reason." The occupants of the vehicle all frowned as they quickly packed up the tea set and grabbed onto the safety holds on the walls. Quenser looped his arm around one of them and fiddled with his radio a bit, he sifted through the static coming from the speaker before eventually finding the channel he was searching for.

"-allow this traitor to live. We will crush Quenser Barbotage for turning his back on the Legitimacy Kingdom." Quenser had a grim look on his face as he heard the unfamiliar voice over the radio. The maids all turned to observe him as they listened to the conversation between two Legitimacy Kingdom commanders.

"I told you already he was captured, not defecting, and you're the one who pulled back your Object allowing that to happen. Tell me, why did you neglect to cover our retreat after we destroyed two enemy Objects on our own only to turn around to kill one battlefield student who was captured due to your actions?" Quenser could recognize the voice of his commander angrily berating the unfamiliar man on the radio. He did not like the sound of being branded a traitor, but he couldn't help but feel glad that at the very least his commanding officer believed in him. His brief smile quickly faded at the next statement to come from the radio from a different, more authorative voice.

"The council has decided that he is to be branded a traitor and killed, his actions have done far too much to destabilize the world as it stands, and now we run the risk of him working for another faction. The threat is far too high to allow for this. The conversation ends here, get your men packed up and out of here, _Lieutenant Colonel_."

The compartment where Quenser sat surrounded by maids drew silent except for the noises made by the vehicle itself as the radio communication abruptly cut off. His mind went blank at being cast out by his own country; he almost forgot to even breathe. The sound of the Rush revving up its propulsion systems and taking off into the distance reverberated throughout the compartment. Quenser finally came back to his sense as he felt himself being shaken by Wydine.

"Are you okay master? That must have been a harsh thing to hear all of a sudden." Quenser looked towards the hand touching his shoulder before following it up towards the worried face of the brown skinned woman next to him. His dazed expression slowly turned to a dark focus as he thought over the situation he found himself in.

 _Am I really being tossed out by the higher-ups again? There was that time with Flide and apparently he had approval until he overstepped his authority by commanding the other armies in the process. I can't rule out the possibility of it being a manipulation by the Information Alliance though, they may have a way to copy voices._

As he shifted into focus, the driver shouted back into the compartment again. "Hold on tight, our Idol has engaged the enemy Object!" At that warning the vehicle sharply veered to the side and a great many explosions could be heard from outside. The APC dipped and turned as it went through the Alaskan hills, and the voice of the commanding officer of the Rush, the woman Quenser vaguely recognized as Lendy Farolito , could be heard over the speakers towards the front of the compartment.

"Wydine, the enemy Object is attempting to bypass our own and target the vehicles instead. Their goal seems to be the death of Quenser Barbotage. Try to keep something big between you and their Object as you make your way over here. Our elite should have this problem sorted out before long so make sure you don't lose her prize before then."

A really bad feeling overcame Quenser as he listened in on that. He knew how things worked: if two Objects were fighting he was going to have to get involved in destroying it at least nine times out of ten. He couldn't help but feel bad at essentially looking down on the Princess and her Object the Baby Magnum, but if he let feeling bad about something stop him he wouldn't have survived as long as he did.

As it turns out, for once he was wrong. The 41st CMBs Object spent so much effort in trying to target the vehicles it was quickly and easily destroyed by the Rush after it closed in and ripped its armor apart with rapid-fire gatling lasers. After a hectic drive through the Alaskan tundra, the vehicle came to a stop and Quenser was lead out of the vehicle by the squad of maids. Quenser noted that a mobile maintenance facility for a foreign Object really wasn't much different from the one he was familiar with. After a few steps from the vehicle, Wydine turned to look at Quenser and spoke with a bright smile.

"I guess I should say welcome to your new home master~ ."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello all, I managed to work up the motivation to write chapter two already, don't expect the next chapter to come out anytime soon since I have to either work with previously done Objects in the series or more likely design my own Object. I'm not an engineer or science student of any sort so I'm most likely going to make a very disappointing Object if I attempt that route. Either way, it's going to take a while.

Not much else to say for now, anyway, read and enjoy.

* * *

 _Man, this is a much comfier cell than the one I got tossed into after that ordeal with Nyarlathotep. A decent cot, food that actually has taste, and the guards haven't yelled at me yet, I'm starting to get worried they're planning to execute me._

Quenser Barbotage laid back in a simple cot as he appraised his current lodgings. The cell contained all of the needs for a relatively comfortable stay, though the only view he had was the metal wall of the hallway just outside of the door to his cell. He could feel the occasional shake of the entire structure as the gigantic mobile maintenance vehicle that was part of an Object maintenance convoy drove along. The prisoner had no idea where the vehicles were going, and only had a simple digital clock to tell how long it had been. In an unusual course of action for the boy, Quenser had been sure to be as polite as possible to avoid drawing any unnecessary problems as a prisoner of war.

Hours passed as the vehicle drove through what Quenser could only imagine was the Alaskan or Canadian hills. The boy habitually checked his pockets before remembering that all of his equipment and uniform had been confiscated when he arrived. Instead of his usual camouflage, he was given a plain t-shirt with matching slacks to wear. Bored out of his mind, he decided to try to make a simple conversation with the guards standing outside of his door.

"Hey, what's going to happen to me anyway? I'm not even technically a soldier; I'm just a battlefield student." Quenser didn't actually expect an answer, but surprisingly one of the guards, a young man no older than Quenser himself, replied.

"Just a battlefield student? With your record? I'm sort of scared to know what kind of school you went to. I can't really officially say anything about what the higher-ups plan to do to you, but the Stopgap Grim Reaper duo is here so I doubt anything bad will happen to you at least for the time being." Quenser's eyes lit up at the chance to kill some time with conversation. The thought that he probably shouldn't be talking too much to an enemy soldier while a prisoner crossed his mind, but he promptly remembered that solitary confinement was an incredibly dull time aside from the day that Nyarlathotep broke out. He sat up on the cot and kept the conversation flowing.

"Well, I did go to a STEM school; personally I was in the Object designer division. I got a few fun stories of the place, like the time a buddy of mine caught the attention of a stalker girl. That was probably the first time in my life I've seen a homemade railgun in actual use." Muffled laughter could be heard from the other side of the wall when the guard heard what Quenser said. Time in school was a hell in itself due to mind-numbing boredom irregularly broken by absolute chaos with the crazy students that attended the school. Despite being probably the most shining example of "crazy student", Quenser conveniently failed to realize he was one of them. When the laughter died down, the blonde kept things going with another question.

"So what did you mean by the 'Stopgap Grim Reaper duo'? Are they some sort of big shot that sends troops to their death or something?" Quenser could hear muffled whispers from the two guards, but couldn't make out what they were saying. The secret conversation lasted for a couple minutes when the young man outside finally responded.

"I might get in trouble for telling you this, but I heard they were coming to talk to you anyway. They're a Lieutenant Colonel and her aide who is a Second Lieutenant, from what I know, they help keep officers in line or something to that effect. Actually, you sort of met the Lieutenant Colonel back during that whole affair with the conspirator organization with that crazy Object that took out several other Objects without moving. You were part of the group that encountered it as boots on the ground and destroyed it right? I heard she contacted you over the radio briefly when the attack first commenced. Actually, I want to hear how you-"The young guard abruptly stopped talking, and Quenser could hear footsteps that conveyed a sense of authority just by their sound. From the small window in his cell door, Quenser could see some movement and shifted himself to be seated on the cot with his feet touching the ground. As the door opened a vaguely familiar face came into view.

She was a young girl who could at oldest only be in her very early teens wearing a black parade uniform adorned with medals that seemed horribly out of place on her, and behind her stood a similarly dressed man in his twenties who seemed to exude the aura of a skilled secretary rather than a soldier. The young girl gave Quenser an appraising look before speaking up.

"I believe this is the first time we've properly met. My name is Wraith Martini Vermouthspray, though only the first name is important, you should be Quenser Barbotage correct?" Quenser stared blankly for a moment before coming to a realization as he recognized the girl's face.

"Yes that would be me. Now I remember, you told us to get away from the Son of a Bitch before the coalition bombardment started. The shell from the Catapult Cargo ended up being a real lifesaver for dealing with that thing." Since he was too busy talking, he failed to realize the young officer getting annoyed with him. Perhaps in a stroke of luck, the girl started talking again before he could annoy her further.

"Such terrible naming sense as always when it comes to the soldiers from the Legitimacy Kingdom, I believe I told you all to refer to our Object as the Cannon 256. Also, what kind of idiot decided to name the MIB Object the Son of a Bitch?" Quenser slightly backed up on the cot he was on at the mildly aggressive response from the young girl. He put his hands up as a gesture of retreat as he answered the question he was asked.

"Sorry, sorry, I don't come up with the names. When it became obvious it was down to just us on the ground to stop that thing I asked what we should name it and my pal Heivia just angrily called it the Son of a Bitch so it just stuck. Since we ended up destroying it, we got to have them keep the name in the databases, though some of the nerds in the archives probably got annoyed." The young girl in front of Quenser was very slightly placated by the explanation. She gestured to the man behind her and motioned for Quenser to follow her.

"Come, we're going to have a more official talk in the interrogation room" Martini spoke as Quenser paled a bit at the words "interrogation room". He thought of trying to talk his way out of getting interrogated but dismissed that thought since attempting to do so would likely only make things worse for him. As he stepped outside he saw that Wydine and Charm in their normal military uniforms were the security detail. Silently, the group walked down a few different hallways and Quenser was lead into a plain room with only a table and two chairs as furniture. One wall was mostly covered by a one-way mirror, and the young prisoner was secretly relieved he was not taken to a torture room. Following as he was directed, Quenser quietly took a seat on one side of the table as the young Lieutenant Colonel placed a tablet down on the table and sat on the other side from Quenser.

The blonde prisoner felt a bit of sweat forming on his forehead, as this was the first time he was on this side of an interrogation by an enemy. Behind him he could vaguely make out Wydine and Charm standing guard while Wraith's assistant stood just one step behind and to the side of his commander. The young girl operated the tablet in front of her for a few minutes as Quenser nervously watched on, after she was seemingly done, she finally addressed him.

"Quenser Barbotage, estimated age 18, born in a Legitimacy Kingdom safe country and a student at a famous school for aspiring Object designers and engineers. Received commendations some time ago for destroying a Faith Organization Object on foot with a bit of explosives and sabotage after your own Object was destroyed. Since then you've made quite a name for yourself by destroying or being critical in the destruction of a very impressive amount of Objects. Now then, for now I am simply here to ask you about your thoughts on a couple of those Objects." The girl's cold gaze pierced into Quenser as he listened to what she had to say. At her prompting, he nervously agreed.

"I'm nowhere near as impressive as that sounds, all of those kills were the result of help from both other people and the environment. The only Object I killed completely solo was the Simple Is Best, and even that was a result of both the environment and it targeting our own Object at the time." Wraith's eyebrow twitched slightly at the mention of the Simple Is Best, and Quenser quickly shut his mouth. The girl sighed before speaking her mind.

"I knew you destroyed our Object, but it's infuriating to hear that you were completely alone in destroying it even if I was present at that battlefield to know what you did. Regardless, that answers one of my inquiries, next I'd like to ask just how exactly you managed to get aboard the Gatling 033. I don't think I've ever heard of anybody boarding a moving Object before." Quenser put his hand on his chin in thought for a moment as he recalled the Object in question.

"Gatling 033, oh you mean what we call the Rush. I climbed aboard it by leaping from a cliff while it had to pass by slowly due to Object debris from the Water Strider and attaching electromagnets connected to rope as a hold. I saw that it had no close range electromagnetic sensors for that kind of thing during the joint operation in Australia so I knew it wouldn't detect me. I had my partner fire a remote rocket to cover my approach when I leaped, after that I just had to avoid the cameras. On that subject, I also boarded the Destruction Fes while its speed was drastically cut with a paraglider. That proved to be a bit of a mistake since there was no ejection system but luckily the astronauts saw my message on how to stop the orchestral control system." The matter-of-fact statement made by the boy visibly surprised all of the other occupants of the room, and Quenser wondered for a moment if he said something bad. The girl in front of him cleared her throat to recover her composure before talking again.

"I see, whether that is the truth or not is in question, but we do have sensors in this room to analyze you for any lies." She briefly glanced at her tablet as it made a small noise. Immediately after, the door to the interrogation room opened up and a brown-skinned woman walked in. Quenser quickly recognized her from the time that the Information had saved him during the Mirror of Truth incident. The new arrival carried a simple folding chair into the room with her. Sparing a glance at both the prisoner and the two women standing guard behind him, she proceeded to set up the chair and sit in it. Quenser only grew more nervous at the presence of another interrogator in the room. The woman pulled out a tablet and started messing with it as she spoke.

"We've met before but I'll reintroduce myself in case you forgot. I am Lieutenant Colonel Lendy Farolito, commanding officer of the 3rd CEB. As for you, today we will have a bit of a talk." More and more sweat formed on Quenser's forehead as he started to get really anxious. The last time he had seen this woman she had gotten into a drunken catfight with his own commander while yelling at him. He hoped she didn't take out any frustrations on him and reminded himself to not bring up that incident.

Seeing him become more nervous, Lendy reassured Quenser. "Do not worry; we have no intention of harming you. Rather, I am here to give you a job offer, so to speak." Quenser's face went from one of muffled fear to a face of confusion before settling into a calm professional mask. Seeing that he had regained some composure, Lendy resume her talk.

"Quenser Barbotage, you have attracted the attention of many organizations for your talents when it comes to eliminating Objects. Today, I am offering you a chance to defect from the Legitimacy Kingdom that placed you on the frontlines and then labelled you a traitor to the Information Alliance. More specifically, we wish to employ you as a tactical advisor for our own elite as she engages enemy Objects. You will naturally be paid appropriately and given access to the needed information on enemy Objects we engage. While you won't have much freedom while working with us until you have been deemed trustworthy enough, the other option is to languish in a cell. You are far too dangerous to be returned to the wasteful Legitimacy Kingdom."

As he listened to the offer, Quenser quietly lowered his gaze to his hands resting on the table. He clasped his hands and idly rubbed his fingers together as he ran the words he just heard through his head several times over. After a minute or so of thinking, he finally responded.

"You know, I never wanted to destroy Objects like I've been doing. I'm just a student; I was only on base since it was a faster route to becoming an Object designer and earning a solid income." As he spoke, his head rose up and he stared at the ceiling. His mind became a maelstrom of various thoughts and emotions due to the situation he had been placed in. Seeing his hesitation, Lendy resumed speaking.

"Yes, I had heard that becoming an Object designer was your original goal. Our elite was heavily pressing for us to recruit you, and she seems to be of the opinion that if you designed an Object it would be unstoppable. Arranging things for you to become an Object designer would be slightly more difficult, but in time we could arrange for you to obtain the necessary licenses and certifications to become an official designer. You would still be working with and around Objects most of the time while cooperating with us, so you shouldn't have any more difficulty than if you were still at your old base. As well, we have absolutely no intention of actually sending you out onto the battlefield, you will be observing from a safe place and giving advice to our actual operatives and elites in the field." Quenser slowly lowered his head to look Lendy in the eye as she elaborated on her offer.

 _She doesn't seem to be lying about any of that, though thinking on it, information manipulation would be the specialty of the Information Alliance. Still, I can at least believe that I won't be sent out onto the battlefield since I doubt they'd want me running off._

The room grew silent as Quenser pondered the offer. Minutes passed in the silent room, but nobody spoke up as the boy just sat there mulling it over. He had no way of knowing, but over twenty minutes had passed before he finally spoke.

"…At the very least, my comrades in the 37th were my friends and allies, can I have your word that I will not be asked to turn against them or the Baby Magnum?" At his inquiry, Lendy and Wraith slightly turned their heads to look at each other. At Wraith's nod, Lendy replied to Quenser.

"I can at least guarantee you that much, the Object you know as the Baby Magnum is an old model, so we would know most of its strengths and weaknesses as it is, and your battalion has at the very least proven themselves as reasonable in the past. We should have no need for you to aid in fighting them if the situation calls for it." Quenser let out a deep sigh at that statement. He did not like the prospect of turning his knowledge against the people he had fought alongside during his time on the battlefield.

More time passed as Quenser considered, pondered, debated and weighed the options in his mind. Even still, nobody broke the silence of the interrogation room as the young man considered his new future. Finally, after spending over an hour in the simple room, he finally gave his final reply.

"I'll do it."

The words almost scraped out of his mouth as he sullenly complied. At that prompting, Lendy stood up from the chair and offered her hand as she spoke. "Understood, Wydine and Charm will show you to your new room. It will be a pleasure working with you Special Operations Advisor Quenser Barbotage."

As he shook the hand of the woman in front of him, Quenser shook off his remaining doubts and set himself on a new course.

That new course would prove to only further his legend across the world.


	3. Chapter 3

Alright, finally an update here. I gave up on trying to design my own Object and just went with the Destruction Fes, or as the Information Alliance called it, the Plasma 177. Really, this chapter was somewhat important, but incredibly boring so it was hard to work up motivation and I couldn't really fit in any humor, so I hope it didn't drag on too long.

That said, stay tuned for the next chapter, as the reason I needed a two-year timeskip will come into play, and some old friends will get some screentime. The next update will actually be two parts, the main chapter, and I will probably release the side-chapter meant to go with it at the same time, but that depends on if I can make updates to other stories in the process to at least have something new up.

A bit unrelated, but for those who have read Zashiki Warashi, I sent in a request to add the category to the list so I can post a few fics of that, so hopefully that happens soon since I already have a chapter mostly ready to go.

Rambling aside, read and enjoy if you can, but this chapter may be a bit dull as job interviews tend to be.

* * *

The irritating buzzing of a simple alarm woke Quenser Barbotage from his sleep. He swiftly hit the snooze button as he got up from the simple cot he had been laying on. While stretching his arms, he gazed around his room and shook off the last remnants of tiredness from his head. This was the new room he had been assigned after agreeing to defect to the Information Alliance the previous day. He did not have much of a chance to take stock of what was included so he figured now was as good of a time as any to appraise his new lodging.

Hanging from one wall, on the right side of the room if one entered from the only door, was the cot he had just left. On the back side across from the door was a simple desk with a computer terminal and various other small office utilities on top, as well as a plain padded office chair to accompany it. In the back left corner, a small square bathroom with an even smaller shower jut out, and next to it on the left wall was a metal military wardrobe. After a quick wash in the bathroom, Quenser went to the wardrobe and opened the upper portion.

Inside was a uniform that Quenser would never have expected to wear in his lifetime. A purple dress uniform shirt with small black shoulder pads accompanied by black pants was hung up in the back of the compartment. The shirt was adorned by a single bronze plate on the right side, engraved with the words:

 _Quenser Barbotage_

 _Special Operations Advisor_

A wry grin appeared on his face as Quenser read the small plate on his new uniform. Various thoughts went through his head as he put the new uniform on and checked himself in the mirror. He adjusted various small bits of his clothing to make sure everything was perfect and started into his own reflection. After a moment and a breath to calm himself, he walked over to the door and hit the button on the side where the absent knob or handle would normally be. After a short noise, somebody spoke to him through the speaker next to the door.

"Good morning sir, are you ready for today?" Quenser was slightly taken aback by how polite the man who sounded a few years older than him was, and it took a moment for him to respond. "Uh, yeah I'm ready I think. At least I'm as ready as I'll probably ever be." He couldn't quite work up the confidence to properly reply to the polite man on the other side. From the speaker, he could hear a brief laugh as the door opened and the guards waiting at his door spoke to him with a smile and a salute. "Don't be so nervous sir, though I understand that it has to be a new experience to go from a student to an irregular officer overnight."

Quenser stepped out from the room and one of the guards closed the door behind him. In front of him was two guards armed with what looked to be tasers, and soon, two more walked up and saluted. For a moment Quenser wondered where he would be going when one of the newer guards spoke up. "Excuse me sir, I just have to do a quick search of you. Nothing bad; just a standard security measure." Quenser nervously complied, and the man briskly patted him down before nodding and giving the all clear.

One of the guards motioned for Quenser to follow, and he found himself walking down the hallways with two guards both in front and behind him. Being escorted by such a security detail was unnerving to the former student, and he still couldn't shake the feeling that his whole situation was wrong. Lost in thought, it was only a few minutes later when Quenser realized he had completely lost his bearings. Before he could start to internally panic, he could hear the general din of white noise that brought to mind a familiar place. After being lead through a large double door Quenser found himself in the mess hall of the mobile unit and immediately realized that he was extremely hungry. He stopped to glance around and found that a mess hall was similar no matter where you went. As he thought that, some familiar people approached.

"Oh, master, good morning." Wydine greeted Quenser before addressing the guards that had escorted him to the room. "Good work today, we'll take over from here." The guards surrounding Quenser saluted Wydine and moved towards the line for food. The brown-skinned woman wearing the same purple uniform motioned for Quenser to follow her and he complied as he was lead over to a table in the corner. There, he was the other girls of Wydine's squad sitting and eating the colorless mass that was probably mean to be considered food.

"I see rations are just as crap here as they were back in the Legitimacy Kingdom, is a bit of flavor really too much to ask?" Quenser frowned and commented on the alleged food he was seeing the women eat. The brown haired Charm replied offhandedly about the subject. "This is just for breakfast; we needed something quick and easy to eat to start the day. It's apparently supposed to be based on some sort of dish called 'grits' from what used to be the southern United States, but who knows if that's actually true. Either way, it's really not too terrible once you try it."

The blonde young man grimaced at the thought, but figured that rations were rations and they really couldn't have gotten much worse than what he was used to so he followed Wydine over to the food line. While he was waiting, he could feel dozens of stares coming from the soldiers and maintenance crew around him.

 _Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised; I_ am _originally from an enemy nation after all. I just hope nobody tries to pick a fight with me; I'm probably on fairly thin ice no matter what I do for a while._ Some unpleasant thoughts came to mind as he progressed through the line and got his food. However, he got his meal and followed Wydine back to the table without incident and started nervously eating. About halfway through the meal, Wydine started giving him an explanation of his schedule for the day.

"Well, we've gotten some food in our stomachs so how about we go over what you'll be doing today? I wouldn't want to toss you into something without knowing what you're going to be doing regardless of how used to it you are." Quenser nervously listened as Wydine pulled out a datapad and started leisurely reading some information from it. "Well, for today it's just a quick briefing from some different higher-ups who aren't as familiar with you followed by a test of sorts. Given what we recruited you for they'll probably run a few Object designs by you and see what weaknesses you come up with." She sighed and put down the datapad as she took another bite of food. "I just hope they don't do something silly and have far too high of expectations of you. Most people seem to think you're some sort of miracle worker just by your reputation, though I can't exactly call them wrong."

Quenser paused with a spoonful of food in his mouth as he nervously thought about being grilled by the higher-ups of a foreign military. Figuring that complaints could only make things worse for him, he quietly finished his meal while deep in thought. After they were done eating, Quenser was lead out of the mess hall by Wydine and her squad and they traveled through several hallways. Eventually, they reached a door with several distinguished looking troops standing guard. Wydine and her troop all saluted as she greeted them.

"Presenting Special Operations Advisor Quenser Barbotage for his scheduled meeting; Good work today." The guards saluted back, and Quenser was lead through the door into a fairly large room. Taking up a majority of the space was a U-shaped table surrounded on the outside by simple chairs. Towards the bottom of the U-shape sat three people. To Quenser's right sat the base commander Lendy Farolito, however, he did not recognize the other two important looking individuals sitting in the center and the left. At Wydine's direction, Quenser walked into the center of the U-shape and nervously stood at attention.

 _Oh man, this is bad, I'm getting really nervous. It's a good thing I'm used to being made to stand at attention while feeling terrible due to all of those lectures by Froleytia. Okay, stay_ _calm Quenser; they went through the effort of deploying an Object to capture you so hopefully they don't plan to just find an excuse to shoot you now._

Trying to take his mind off of his nerves, Quenser silently examined the two people he didn't know. Directly in front of him was an older man, probably in his fifties, with greying hair and a surplus of medals decorating his chest. To Quenser's left was a slightly younger man with neatly combed black hair and glasses. All three of those seated at the table held datapads, and Quenser noted that what seemed to be a camera was in the center of the table and likely recording him. He took a quietly deep breath through his nose as the door was closed behind him. The first to speak up was the greying man directly in front of him.

"Well, I believe some introductions are in order before we start anything else. I am General Gary Gibson, and this young man here is Major Frank Rickey; I believe you're already familiar with Lieutenant Colonel Lendy Farolito. All that's left would be you, Special Operations Advisor Quenser Barbotage. I can't help but admit I'm a bit curious about the man reported to have climbed aboard a moving Object some time ago, why don't you say some things about yourself?"

The man calmly spoke as the three seated occupants all observed Quenser. The young blonde gulped before starting his introduction. "Well, I was a student at a STEM school in the home country before enlisting as a battlefield student to gain the experience needed to become an Object designer faster. Things were pretty much normal until our Object was destroyed and the enemy decided to keep shooting at us anyway. Our Elite had activated her SOS signal to lure the enemy away so…"

Feeding into the General's apparent interest, Quenser detailed the events that led to the destruction of the Water Strider. After he finished speaking, the youth nervously observed the reactions from the people in front of him but true to what he imagined from the higher-ups of the Information Alliance, he found them to have very good poker faces. The black-haired man to his left was rapidly typing on his datapad while the grey-haired General and Lendy both calmly and quietly glanced between their datapads and Quenser. A few moments after Quenser finished, General Gibson spoke to him.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting glimpse into your history. Anyway, I'll get to the core of the meaning of this meeting today. Think of this as the callback of a job interview, Lieutenant Colonel Farolito and Lieutenant Colonel Wraith both vouched for your abilities, and we're just going to address some more questions from myself and other commanders from the Information Alliance. Now then, let's get started…" Quenser took another, much deeper breath as the second "job interview" started.

* * *

Roughly an hour later, Quenser was released from the interview room and was greeted by Wydine and her subordinates sitting on a nearby bench attached to the wall. After hearing the door close behind him again, Quenser finally let himself loosen up a bit and just barely stopped himself from letting out a relieved sigh. He cracked his neck as Wydine approached him.

"How did it go Advisor?" Quenser straightened his back a bit as he replied to the woman in front of him. "Well in their own words it was call-backs for a job interview. I'm not sure if they were satisfied with my answers or not but they said they'll arrange a couple small tests just to be sure." As Quenser spoke, Wydine pulled a small device from her pocket and checked it.

"Hmm, from what this says they plan to just run you through a few hypothetical combat scenarios involving Objects. Oh, it looks like our idol will be joining you for this; I bet she's looking forward to that. Anyway, that's not until after lunch so we have some free time. I can't exactly show you around yet, but how about we go over the details of the Operating System of the computer in your room? I think they might send some work to that so it wouldn't be a bad idea to go over it to make sure you're familiar with the basics."

Wydine and Quenser made their way to his room, and the young man had to remind himself to avoid making any dirty jokes when it was still probable that somebody important might just decide to have him shot. His mental fortitude was strained ever further as Wydine sat very close to him while running him through the essentials of an unfamiliar OS. He directed all of his focus on the computer screen to try to prevent the sweet feminine smell from making him do something that in his current situation would be mildly suicidal.

 _Is this some twisted form of training or torture, or is she surprisingly dense? No, no, this is the Information Alliance this has to be on purpose. Focus, Quenser, you have to build up at least enough trust with the higher-ups to only maybe get tossed in the brig rather than getting shot before you can make a couple jokes._

Time passed as he got a good grasp of the unfamiliar system and Quenser once more ate lunch with Wydine and her group. After eating, he was led into a completely different vehicle-building of the maintenance base. Inside, they walked to a dimly-lit room that Quenser immediately recognized was a command room of sorts. There he and his escort were greeted by several other soldiers in the same purple uniform Quenser was wearing. Towards the back, the same black-haired man that was in the interview room stood up from his chair, walked over to Quenser, and started explaining.

"Good afternoon, welcome to our simulation command room. Today we will be running some standard combat scenarios to see how you react and adapt to different situations. You will be working with the Elite of the Gatling 033 today as your hypothetical Object, and your goal is to come up with countermeasures to the opposing Object. Well, this is all hypothetical, and the Object itself has already been destroyed, we just want to see some fresh new ideas from other officers."

After the brief introduction to the exercise, Quenser and the other soldiers participating all exchanged brief introductions and went to the stations they were assigned to. Quenser was stationed towards the back at a console situated on a raised platform that gave him a clear view of all of the other stations. He found an earpiece with an attached microphone lying on the keyboard and put it on. Testing it, he spoke clearly, "Ah, ah, testing, testing, can you hear me?" From the earpiece, he heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, it will be a pleasure working with you today, oh ho ho." The sweet young voice of the pilot of the Gatling 033, or as Quenser knew it, the Rush, greeted Quenser's mic test. The young man smiled slightly as he replied to the greeting. "Good to work with you too, is everything I'm saying coming in clear on your end? I've got a kind of scary guy watching me and I'd rather not have a slip-up due to the mic not being properly tuned." He could hear the signature laugh of the young pilot clearly through the earpiece as she gave him confirmation on the device. "I can hear you loud and clear, shall we give them a good show?"

"Let's do this then. I'm ready to start whenever." Quenser turned to Major Rickey standing behind him and nodded. The black-haired man nodded back and loudly proclaimed the start of the exercise. "Alright everybody, we're starting the exercise. Today we will be pitting our Gatling 033 against a hypothetical Plasma 177. The propulsion system is an air-cushion. Its main gun is a single low-stability plasma cannon located at the front, and five large-scale acoustic devices spread along the back. Along the legs are large auxiliary boosters that allow it to perform maneuvers that would be impossible for normal Objects, and we can assume the pilot is able to survive those maneuvers. That is all of the information we will provide you, any questions?"

 _I didn't expect to see the Destruction Fes all of a sudden._ Between the description of the Object and the image of it displayed on the screen, Quenser quickly recognized the Object that was bought by Heivia's little sister to threaten a rival family. Quenser nervously raised his hand and the Major regarded him with slight annoyance. "Yes? Officer Barbotage?" Quenser lightly scratched his cheek as he slowly spoke. "Uh, well I already disabled this Object once before, so, I might have a bit of an advantage over a normal situation in this case. Can I assume that I cannot use any disadvantages associated with the Orchestra System?" The black-haired Major's eyes widened at the proclamation at having already disabled the Object before, but the man cleared his throat and calmly responded. "That will be fine, if nothing else the higher-ups would like to see the weaknesses that you saw while eliminating it." Quenser nodded and turned back around to his station.

To start it off, they were given 30 minutes to go over any potential plans. "Those speakers in the back will be our first target. They emit sound waves at certain frequencies to build up air pressure and slow down the enemy Object. That combined with the explosive maneuverability of the boosters make it almost impossible for most other Objects to keep up as they're whittled away. Let's see, when I went against it before I used massive jamming to prevent it from properly using the Doppler Effect required to get optimal results and our Object was able to hold on for a while and fight back while we sorted out the issue of the boosters. Are we fighting this on land or sea?"

As he finished his statement with a question, one of the other officers in the exercise brought up a display of the combat field. It was an arid climate with a vast canyon running between the two bases. Quenser noted that it was essentially the exact opposite of the conditions of the time he took out the real Object. Due to the nature of the field, he came to a conclusion. "The legs use iron sand as a catalyst for the boosts, but I don't think we'll be able to cripple it with an electromagnet here. This is going to be a rough one." Quenser brought a hand to his chin and idly tapped his cheek as he thought. He closed his eyes and scratched his head as he came to a conclusion. "Ohoho, I'm going to be honest with you here. The outcome of this exercise is going to rely heavily on you, I can point out the weaknesses from here but for something like this I can't actually do much about it. Most of the time I've worked on the ground to get another angle on the enemy." He let out a sigh as he admitted his lack of a full plan.

"Oh ho ho, do not worry; I am well aware of how this exercise doesn't give much chance for the officers to help." He heard the young girl reply and nodded to himself as he started focusing on the objective. "Alright Ohoho, we're going to take this piece by piece, first we'll need to limit that wall so you can maneuver properly. Do you have any sort of jamming?" Quenser posed a question of the young pilot of the Gatling 033. "Oh ho ho, after the original model was captured by you, my Gatling 033 was fitted with enhanced ECM to interfere with enemy targeting. How would you like me to use it?" Ohoho quickly replied to Quenser's question as the screen at the front started to have the various plans displayed. "Focus all of your ECM on the acoustic devices on the back; they'll need electromagnetic measurements to properly accommodate for the high-speed actions Objects take. Jam those and you'll be much less restricted by the sound waves, use that chance to quickly destroy at least a couple of the devices to free yourself up even more. After that it will come down to you, use the canyon to your advantage to limit its speed advantage and draw in close. It'll be close, but I doubt it can match your main guns in close range with the canyon limiting its movement."

The other officers in the room seemed to let Quenser have the lead for this hypothetical situation. He wasn't sure if it was because he had already destroyed the enemy Object in question before or he was being tested, but he tried not to think about it as he peeled apart the potential weaknesses. After the first brainstorming session with the Plasma 177 finished, they were given several other Objects to analyze. Several hours later, they were finally released from the room, and Quenser was lead back to the interview room from before. Inside, he found himself once again facing Lieutenant Colonel Farolito and General Gibson. Just like the previous time, he felt himself becoming very nervous.

The two were both calmly operating their devices while the young man in front of them started to break into a cold sweat. Eventually, the General did him a favor and broke the silence. "Well, from that exercise earlier we've gotten an…interesting look at your ability." The older man let the silence permeate the room again for what felt like an eternity to Quenser. After one horribly tortuous minute, the General looked Quenser in the eye and smiled. "Welcome aboard Special Operations Advisor Quenser Barbotage, I look forward to the possibilities that lie within your mind." The two high-ranked officials stood up from their chairs, walked over to Quenser, and each gave him a firm handshake. The General left first as Lendy started to explain some details to him.

"Well, I had no doubt you would get through that. While we may be working with you, you will primarily be working from a different station than the rest of us. Security reasons, you understand of course, we wish to work with you but some trust has to be built up. Your freedom will be rather restricted until you earn the trust needed, but we will be sure to not treat you poorly. We can allow for the occasional letters to family, but we will naturally have to make sure there is no hidden classified information being passed on." The brown-skinned woman went over the rest of the conditions Quenser would find himself in while he built up trust, but none of them were unreasonable. Afterwards, he was led back to his room and he quickly fell asleep after changing.

Over the next two years, he would oversee the destruction of over 50 Objects, being credited with a critical assist for roughly half of those. Such an impressive resume granted him a rather influential position and many privileges that would come in handy when a truly horrific battle was sent his way.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello all, I just recently got motivation to write again and when I checked I realized that it's been well over a year since I last updated. This is rather embarrassing since I did not mean for it to be so long but I just could not get the flow going whenever I opened up the document.

So here it is, the fourth chapter! The plot is finally kicking off!

No promises on when another update will be posted since as I mentioned before, trying to imagine how to stop and Object is a very difficult task.

Without further ado, read and enjoy.

* * *

"Are you sure this will and work and not just end in us getting sent home in a shoe box sir?"

It was December, and the fields of a battlefield in north-eastern Russia were obscured by a harsh blizzard obscuring everything. Situated in a flat plain between two mountain ranges, a base zone comprising of a multitude of vehicles and easily established and deconstructed buildings was set up. To the west was the harsh Russian tundra, and to the east was a vital ocean port currently under the control of the Information Alliance who had set up the base as a means of defense. It was from this base that soldiers thousands of kilometers away in South America were getting their orders.

"Trust me on this, the Plasma 252 is similar the old Capitalist Corporation Miskatonic I blew up by the Panama Canal a few years back. I doubt there's any other way they can fire such an intense plasma cannon without completely blinding themselves as well. The fact that it ignites everything around it matches up as well. Place the scent distribution spikes as marked on the map and return to base and you're done. Simple, right?"

On the outskirts of the Amazon forest, a platoon of camouflaged soldiers were using the cover of night to sneak around placing small metal containers with holes in them attached to metal spikes into the ground at what seemed to be random. From the edge of the forest, the commanding lieutenant was on the radio talking to the one in charge of the operation while observing the progress of his soldiers through night vision equipment.

"Sir, with all due respect, nothing about this job is ever easy. I think poor Matthews might still be scarred from that time in India."

Over the radio, the lieutenant could hear a minor commotion as his superior officer lazily replied. "Oh come on, you're all still alive and more or less in one piece aren't you? Look on the bright side, at least you have me here to give you words of friendship and encouragement."

The commotion the lieutenant could hear from the other side of the radio was getting louder as the conversation continued. "'Friendship and encouragement' my ass, it's just one slog through the mud after another hoping I don't end up as a fine red mist! I thought special forces were supposed to do more glorious things like exterminating terrorists from the shadows and rescuing cute damsels in distress, not being the assistants of some giant tin cans!" The rookie soldier to the man's left turned his head in surprise at the unusual expletive coming from his senior. His thoughts quickly started shifting to wondering if they were going to have to run laps when they got back to base for disrespecting a superior officer. Unaware of the nervousness of the rookie, the two officers continued to bicker.

"Hey, you signed up asking for the job that would result in the biggest explosions, what did you expect? At least you've got training, prep work and me. When I was in your shoes I was just a battlefield student on deployment that started getting thrown at any problem the higher-ups didn't feel like dealing with."

The lieutenant sighed at the half-hearted reply before frowning as the noise coming from the other side started to get much louder. "Yeah, yeah… By the way sir, I'm hearing a bit of a ruckus coming from your end, is anything wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I was hitting on a cute black uniform girl that was inspecting the base but she noticed me trying to slip some contraband out of my room while doing so. I guess she thought I was just using her to get out of inspection so she had me thrown in the brig for a couple days until they're done."

"...Hitting on a black uniform? You're crazy sir."

"I get that a lot. Looks like they're about to let me out, are things wrapping up on your end?"

"Looks like the last one just got placed, we're heading back to base. Catch you later boss."

* * *

In a small cell furnished with a bed and tiny bathroom, Special Operations Adviser Quenser Barbotage was sitting on the bed with his back leaning on the wall. At the end of the transmission from one of the squads under his command, he folded up the protective casing of the small tablet and took off the headset he had been using. He looked to the door of the cell to see three women in uniform; two in black and one in standard Information Alliance purple, walking up to his cell. The lead woman with blonde hair tied back in a tight bun wearing a black uniform unlocked the door.

"Advisor Barbotage, the inspections are over, you may leave now. Kindly do not attempt such a stunt in the future." The prim and proper woman opened the door and gestured for Quenser to exit the room. The second black uniform woman tapped at a tablet in her hand while Wydine Uptown approached him with a smile.

"Welcome back Master, was the operation dealing with the Plasma 252 going well?" Quenser stretched his arms upwards while arching his back as he replied to Wydine. "The scent distribution spikes have been placed, if my hunch is correct it should throw off the enemy Object by spreading the same scent as the Railgun 172's propulsion systems. There's also the plan with the liquid nitrogen, but getting it close enough would be a bit tricky so hopefully our Object can handle things on it's own."

While discussing the details of the ongoing operation in South America, Quenser and Wydine walked through the base, moving between buildings connected by small tunnels as they made their way to the mess hall. After a few turns, the black uniform women walking behind them headed off in a different direction, and after checking around Quenser quietly spoke to Wydine.

"So… did you manage?" At the inquiry, grinned and whispered back. "I managed to slip it back into your room after replacing it with a cheap decoy, they would do well to not underestimate undercover operatives. I must say though, I didn't know you played the guitar." Quenser scratched his cheek and looked away as he quietly replied. "I learned it back in school to help me pick up girls, though I just now started playing again for some reason. It's been helping me relax a bit now that the Object designer qualification tests are done."

They made their way to the mess hall near the center of the base zone. Soldiers they passed stopped and saluted before continuing on their way after the two officers acknowledged them. Lunch time was just about to end as they reached the mess hall, so they quickly made their way to the line to get their meal. Today was the weekly special consisting of what Quenser hoped was real food in the form of a simple beef stew with potatoes and carrots. After they sat down with their trays, Wydine continued the conversation.

"So how did the tests go Master? You don't seem to be too terribly nervous about the results so should I take that as a good sign?" Quenser placed a spoonful of stew into his mouth and chewed the meat that was a bit too tough for a proper stew as he thought about how to reply.

"I'm pretty sure I nailed it, there were a few problems on there I doubt somebody who hadn't worked up close with an Object in combat would really get, so my time through those shitty battlefields paid off a bit. Truthfully, I've already started tinkering with some designs for a while, but now I can get some real tools to refine the rough ideas in my head." As he finished speaking, Quenser placed another spoonful of stew into his mouth.

 _Man, this could really use some salt and pepper, I hope the stashes I had hidden made it through the inspection._ Lunch continued as Quenser and Wydine made small talk, and afterwards Quenser made his way to his quarters. It was the same secure room as he had started, but it had become much more lively even after the black uniform inspection had forced him to tidy up and hide some things. He checked his closet and smiled when he found an unmarked cardboard box. Opening it up Quenser found a plain acoustic guitar packed in with some simple sheeting.

The young man reached towards his desk and pulled a plain notebook and pencil out from the drawer on the side. Plucking at the strings, Quenser adjusted the tuning of the guitar as he opened the notebook to a certain page and looked over his notes. He picked at the strings a bit more as he started going through some basic voice exercises, after he was satisfied with both his voice and the guitar, he started playing.

It was a simple and homely, but lonely tune. Quenser tapped his foot on the ground as he hummed along to lyrics he hadn't actually finished writing. Every so often he stopped and edited his notes before starting up again. This had continued for several hours before there was a knock at the door.

"Oh ho ho; Quenser, is it okay if I come in?" A young girl's voice sounded through the intercom that was still installed on his door. Quenser placed the guitar down on his bed and walked up to the door. When he opened it, he found the young idol elite he only ever called "Ohoho" standing there. Rather than the usual pilot suit meant to help a person deal with extensive G forces, she was wearing a white blouse with a frilly crimson skirt and black thigh-high socks. Over the past two years, the young girl's body was starting to develop a healthy curvature, but was still a bit too young to be in Quenser's strike zone. Behind her were several bodyguards, and Quenser knew from experience that many more were hidden around keeping an eye on things. As she stepped into his room, two of the bodyguards walked in behind her.

"Hey! I said I don't need a guard in here!" At her protest, the two female guards frowned and shook their heads. "Sorry for interrupting ma'am, but Lendy will have our heads if we don't." While Ohoho pouted, Quenser shrugged and gave them a wry smile.

"It's not a problem, I understand quite clearly just how that doting mother can be." The two guards chuckled a bit before catching themselves and clearing their throat. They knew that the walls had ears, and their commanding officer could get rather scary when somebody pointed out her habits concerning the young pilot elite. Before any of them could dig their hypothetical graves any deeper, Ohoho looked at the guitar and notes on the bed with interest.

"Oh ho ho, I did not know you were a man of music. Are you writing your own song?" The young girl sat down on the bed as Quenser moved his notes to the side and picked up his guitar. As Ohoho watched him tinker with his instrument, Quenser felt himself blush a little.

"It's nothing too special, I don't even know that many songs and I'm over here writing one on my own. I do know a few simple ones I can play for you if you would like though." Ohoho nodded vigorously at his offer, so Quenser got himself situated and picked a few strings before nodding and starting in earnest. The song he played was a lively one; an old folk song from over a hundred years ago. He gently swayed back and forth as he focused himself solely on the music and felt his chest fill with a gentle warmth. When he finished, both Ohoho and the two guards gently clapped.

"Quite a splendid performance if I might say so my self, oh ho ho." As he smiled at the praise, Quenser quietly thought to himself about home. His real home and the family he had been forced to leave behind. When Ohoho asked for another song, he shook the doubts out of his head and continued to play. After a few simple songs, one of the guards glanced at her watch and spoke up.

"Sorry to put a damper on this performance, but our little elite has a check-up scheduled soon, so we'll have to take our leave for today." Quenser and Ohoho stood up, and Quenser walked over to the door with the young girl and her guards. As she stepped out of the room, the young elite smiled.

"Oh ho ho. Sometime you will have to let me listen to that original song of yours. I fully expect to be the first one to hear the completed result." With that request, the girl smiled and waved before turning to head off to her appointment. The two guards exchanged a quick salute with Quenser before turning to accompany their charge. After he closed the door, Quenser plopped himself down on his bed and checked over his notes. As he felt himself getting sleepy, he got his body moving and placed his notes and guitar back into their proper places and got changed into his sleepwear. Thoughts of home and the friends he left behind drifted into his mind as he quietly fell asleep.

* * *

It was one week later when Quenser woke up one morning to find himself being greeted by a rather grim looking Wydine. It took the young man a moment of surprise before he spoke up.

"What's the problem Wydine? Something tells me this isn't just a 'good morning' visit." The tanned woman disregarded her usual pleasantries as she spoke.

"Master, there's something you need to...well, it would be simplest if you just saw it. Follow me." At Wydine's request, Quenser followed her through the base and found himself being led to one of the small briefing rooms in the commanding center. The door was closed, and Wydine was just about to knock when a high-pitched voice could be heard from the inside of the room.

"Oh ho ho. Just tell him! Something's not right about all of this, maybe he will know something!"

"We still don't know enough about what's going on with those Objects to drag him into this, it might just be some plot by the Legitimacy Kingdom to mess with his head."

As the sounds of the argument continued, Wydine sighed and knocked on the door. The people arguing inside quieted, and a stern woman's voice responded. "Enter."

At the command, Wydine opened the door and entered with Quenser. Inside they found Ohoho angrily glaring at the commanding officer of the battalion Lendy Farolito. Wydine closed the door behind her as she and Quenser saluted. Quenser wasn't sure if he should speak up at all when Wydine started talking.

"I figured it would be more prudent to just bring him here ma'am." Lendy sighed before speaking to Wydine. "I was planning to have the intelligence units do some proper investigating before bringing him in. I did promise to uphold that condition when we brought him in."

Quenser found himself lost in the midst of a conversation that had taken place without him and spoke up. "I'm sorry, what's going on? I'm a bit lost here." At that admission from Quenser, Lendy glanced back towards Wydine.

"You didn't tell him?"

"I figured it would be better if he got the full story all at once."

Lendy picked up a remote from the nearby desk and gestured towards a screen on the back wall as she pressed a button. "Yesterday, two Legitimacy Kingdom Objects attacked an Object battalion of ours guarding an oil rig some ways west of our current location. After our Object was rendered inoperable, the enemy Objects attacked and destroyed the maintenance facilities before moving to escort their maintenance units further east. They seem to be headed towards us, but that is not the real concern." Lendy continued to cycle through images taken from the retreating maintenance battalion. Quenser could just barely make out the silhouettes of the two enemy Objects, but even that was enough to cause him to get a very bad feeling.

"The real reason I was doubting whether I should talk to you without further information was this." The screen stopped on an image that managed to get a decent view of both of the Objects. Seven main cannons with a reverse Y-shape float system; one main cannon with large spider-like legs. Quenser knew these two Objects far too well to mistake them even from a distance.

"As you can see from the images we were sent, one of the two Objects is what seems to be a second-generation we have never seen before and the other-"

"-Is the Baby Magnum… There's no mistake." Quenser clenched his hands so firmly the thought that they might break briefly crossed his mind. His vision was starting to darken, and his breathing was started to grow deep.

"Indeed. This is why I was worried. The Object you know as the Baby Magnum has not been seen in action since that day we acquired you. I do not know what the Legitimacy Kingdom is planning, but for them to send an outdated first-generation your way, they must be relying on your relationship with the pilot somehow. As for the other Object, we know little about it."

Quenser's voice was cold as steel as he stared unflinchingly at the images on the screen. "That is the Exact Javelin, piloted by Catherine Blueangel. No, her name now would be Catherine Barbotage. She's my adopted little sister. After that incident with the quarantine in Second Venice she was supposed to be living a civilian life with my parents. She was supposed to be free from a life of killing, god damnit!"

Quenser felt his rage reach a boiling point and shouted as he slammed his fist into the wall. He ignored the dull pain shooting through his hand and found his gaze briefly lingering over the young elite in the room who was just as young as his little sister. The girl misinterpreted his gaze and started to speak.

"Oh ho ho… I can't speak for the Object that was originally for your adopted sister, but I know the pilot for the other one very well. Something seemed off about it's movements. They were similar yet different, almost as if she was controlled by some...thing..." The girl trailed off as she realized something horrifying. Quenser cut off her fading voice with a declaration of certainty.

"The Mirror of Truth."

He spoke of the mind control program that had been inputted into the minds of the elites that were raised in one of the facilities funded and controlled by the former councilor Flide of the Legitimacy Kingdom. That truly cruel system interfered with the perceptions and decision-making ability of the elites to twist their actions into those the controller wished without any concern for the thoughts or feelings of the elites.

"Those _sons of bitches_."

Quenser swore at the unseen manipulators who were playing with the hearts of the two girls whom he cared for most in the world. A slight sense of self-resentment rose up as the thought that they were being used to target him crossed his mind, and he felt like he was going to vomit. While the women in the room remained silent and watched him, Quenser staggered over to the door before turning around and giving a weak salute.

"Sorry, would you mind if I had some time to myself?" At Lendy's nod, he made his way back to his quarters.

When he reached his room, Quenser fought the urge to fall into his bed and cry himself to sleep. Instead, he went to the sink of the small bathroom in his quarters and started washing his face. Without drying himself off, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Cold, empty, his eyes were showing no warmth, no drive. With a sudden motion, he punched himself as hard as he could with his right arm. A slight iron taste entered his mouth, but he paid it no heed as he glanced towards the notes on his desk. There, the song he was writing lay; a somber song of a soldier who would never see his love again.

He thought, and thought, and thought, and thought and thought and thought and thought. Despair gave way to defiance, and defiance soon grew into hope. A buzzing sound came from the door and Wydine's voice called from the intercom.

"Master…are you okay in there?" Quenser dried his face and went over to open the door. The woman waiting at the door was surprised to see the fire lit in his eyes.

"Wydine, how long until the Baby Magnum and Exact Javelin arrive?" Wydine paused for a moment to catch up to the sudden question. "Reports say they will have to detour around some problem areas so they shouldn't arrive for another week."

At that reply, Quenser nodded once and stared Wydine right in the eye as he spoke in a commanding tone he rarely ever used.

"Good, get your unit together, there's a lot of work to do if I'm going to save those two girls."


	5. Chapter 4point5

Hello all, it's been a while since I posted an update but I finally worked up some motivation to write again. The core problem of not being able to come up with a way to neutralize Objects is still a problem, but maybe something will come to me.

I really must apologize since I've been slacking on this, but writing is really not something I can force myself to do so I tend to not be prompt. However, I have a bit of motivation lately so I'm going to try and update some of my stories that have been sitting for a while. I didn't even realize it's been over 2 years since I've updated a couple of them, yet I feel that I managed to improve, so I hope I can make the wait slightly worthwhile.

Anyway, this is an in-between chapter that was necessary to setup what will happen in chapter 5. I have no Idea when I will manage to write the next chapter, but I will try to work on it piece by piece.

Rambling aside, read and enjoy.

* * *

 _"_ _ _Tensions continue to rise in many Faith Organization as protests continue in many cities in the home countries. The Venerable Elder's calls for the citizens to stand down seem to have fallen on deaf ears as the violence continues to escalate"__

 _"_ _ _Casualties rise in the ongoing conflicts in the Legitimacy Kindgom after several high-profile assassinations caused a succession crisis in Central Europe. Several arrests have been made after the foiled attempt at Princess Staivia Nikolaschka's life earlier this week."__

 _"_ _ _Communist factions in the Capitalist Corporation controlled regions around the world once again came into conflict with local peacekeepers. Field reporters also witnessed nationalist militias taking up arms against both Communist militants and CC peacekeeping mercenaries; more news to follow."__

 _"_ _ _Information Alliance officials expressed concern over severe infrastructure breakdowns due to the now widespread trend of citizenry hiding as much of their data as possible. Several popular online forums have indicated a growing resentment of the lack of privacy."__

"Man, the world really is going to hell in a hand basket."

The nobleman Heivia Winchell grimaced as he put down the small touch screen tablet he was using to browse the world news. He leaned back in the elegantly carved wooden chair he was seated in until the front two legs were no longer touching the floor. A porcelain tea cup with a saucer was placed on the table and filled with hot tea from a kettle by a tall, silver-haired maid with an eye patch covering her right eye.

The nobleman was currently sitting in the grand dining room of the main Winchell household. The bright June morning sun shone through the large glass windows and the birds could be heard chirping about. After being honorably discharged from the military following Quenser's capture, he forcefully took hold of the leadership of the Winchell family with the support of a vast majority of the combat maids and several of his much younger siblings. Seven months had passed since his status as the head of the house was officially confirmed by the Legitimacy Kingdom bureaucrats, and the voices of dissent had long since vanished. Even his engagement to the Vanderbilt daughter was proceeding smoothly with the ceremony planned for early spring. Things were going very well for him on a personal level, which only made him even more uneasy.

"Is there anything concerning you Master?" The silver-haired maid broke the young man out of his thoughts as she calmly stood next to him. Heivia glanced towards the woman that raised him in his rebellious youth then back to his front.

"Something's just not sitting right with me. The succession has been going far too smoothly, even with all of the accolades I had acquired. As much as I'd like to chalk it all up to my charm I've got a bad feeling there's another hand in this." The young man took a sip of the high-quality tea he had been provided and placed the cup back down on the saucer. He let his chair fall forward so that it rested back on all four legs and slowly rubbed his chin in thought.

"Oh? You were so confident a few months ago, now you're starting to think things through? What's this? Is my master finally starting to show some thought fitting of the household head?" The maid's sharp tongue seemed to ignore the status of master and maid as she calmly grilled Heivia. However, as she said that she brought out another small touch screen tablet and pressed a few buttons. "Still, your instincts are as sharp as ever. A rather strange man calling himself The Evil God of a Thousand Faces slipped by our security and delivered a small flash drive with some rather interesting information on it."

As the maid operated the device in her hand, Heivia's brow furrowed at the news. "'The Evil God of a Thousand Faces'? That sounds familiar but I can't quite remember why…" The man's eyes closed in thought as he folded his arms. The maid placed the tablet on the table in front of him as she spoke again. "He said he owed your friend for an incident at the Panama Canal, does that ring any bells?"

Heivia took a moment before his eyes suddenly opened as he recognized the name. "Nyarlathotep. So that bastard was still alive after all. I remember Quenser keeping him alive so that the blame of the assassination of a CC CEO could be placed on him in an official trial. His cell exploded when someone came to assassinate him, but I don't know why he thinks Quenser owes him for that." Heivia took another sip of his tea after quietly speaking his thoughts. His eyes wandered to the tablet placed in front of him and he picked it up as his maid started explaining some more.

"Whatever the case, we already ran this by the more loyal members of the information division and found that this rather disturbing report is most likely true. While you may have left the battlefield over a year ago, you still keep contact with some of your former comrades do you not? Especially that black-haired girl." A slight touch of accusation entered the voice of the maid at the last sentence and Heivia slightly curled up in his chair.

The young man shrugged off the accusatory tone of the maid and picked up the tablet. As he read through the files being shown on the small screen, he could feel his lips curl in disgust. He continued through the information as he cursed under his breath.

"...Those __motherfuckers.__ "

 _ _Concerning the Use of the Mirror of Truth to Neutralize the Defector Quenser Barbotage.__

 _ _The former Dragon Killer of the 37__ _ _th__ _ _C.M.B. has been confirmed to be working with the Information Alliance as an adviser in anti-Object operations thanks to the efforts of our Intelligence Division. According to the reports from various spies located throughout the Information Alliance, he has been credited with playing a key role in many of our catastrophic defeats over the past year. Attempts at traditional assassination have all ended in failure as he is guarded by even more protection than a colonel. As such, we have made a deal with the criminal Sladder Honeysuckle, the only other man with the intellect to counter the disgraced Dragon Killer.__

 _ _His suggestion is to use the Mirror of Truth (see the attached documents for the details of this project) to force him to do battle against the Baby Magnum and Exact Javelin. Several prolific members of the committee have expressed doubt about how effective such a hostage situation would work as Barbotage most likely will not be calling the shots. However, given his actions during the incidents in the Alps with the original Mirror of Truth and in Second Venice regarding the Argeiphontes, the use of former elites Milinda Brantini and Catherine Barbotage (formerly Catherine Blueangel) as hostages may break his concentration and allow for a victory in a 2v1 Object battle. Barring that, Honeysuckle also recommended that explosives be set with the ejection seats in the event that Barbotage manages to safely eject both pilots. The committee once again voiced concerns about the international image if we were to kill our own pilots like this, and the concerns of Elites defecting. For this operation, the utmost care must be taken to prevent an information from leaking. The dangers are tremendous, but the defector must be killed.__

"Now it all makes sense…" Heivia finished reading the report and haphazardly tossed the tablet back to the maid. The leaned back in his chair and stared at the grand ceiling. "So I was right after all, it really was too easy." A breath escaped his lips as he processed the details of his current situation. "Whoever is is charge of all of this probably streamlined my path to taking over the house and getting married as a way of shackling me. They already planned for the possibility of me finding out and set things up so that I would lose too much if I acted to stop it. This peaceful life is a warning…"

The young man sighed and rested his elbows on the table with his forehead held by his hands. His eyes drifted to his personal tablet that was still sitting on the table, attached to the top was a small but expensive charm that was given to him by his fiance to celebrate his ascension to the head of the Winchell household. He had traveled countless battlefields to finally earn the clout needed to brush aside the objections of both of their families and secure their marriage, he could not just toss that hard-earned happy ending away now. However, he also refused to allow the Elite who had helped him through those battles nor the adopted family of his old partner to be cruelly brainwashed and sent to die either. The quick mind that had helped him survive hell started to turn.

"Karen, I assume you already have some people working on finding out more about this by now." The maid nodded once as her beloved master calmly made his decision. "Good, I've got some favors to call in. We may technically be enemies now, but this is something I just can't stomach." Heivia quickly finished up his tea and stood up from his chair. With the maid following close behind he walked to one of the more secure rooms of the luxurious mansion. The ornate furnishing of the room clashed with the high-tech military-grade hardware that filled it.

"First things first I want you to get in touch with Unicorn, if they complain just tell them that a princess for a princess is a fair trade with a little sister added as interest."


End file.
